By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The UTSA Roadrunners will play the Baylor Bears in Waco on Tuesday night without infielder Diego Diaz, Coach Pat Hallmark announced Monday.
Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners will try to beat the Baylor Bears for a second time this season when they meet Tuesday night in Waco. – File photo by Joe Alexander
Diaz will serve an automatic one-game suspension after he was ejected from UTSA’s game against South Florida on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
Umpires ejected Diaz at the end of the second inning during the Roadrunners’ American Conference series finale against the Bulls.
The play that caused tempers to flare in both dugouts began with Diaz on third as a baserunner, and with teammate Aidan Eshelman at bat.
With one out, Eshelman lofted a pop fly into shallow center field that was caught by Bulls second baseman Jack Lutz.
Hallmark, coaching at third base, signaled to Diaz to tag up and try to score.
As the ball came into home plate, Diaz tried to slide and crashed into South Florida catcher Lance Trippel, who put the tag on him for the third out of the inning.
After the tag, Diaz hit the ground, with Trippel standing over him. Pretty soon, UTSA’s Caden Miller entered the area and confronted Trippel.
In response, Hallmark ran down from his post in the third-base coaching box and moved Miller back from the fray.
Hallmark, speaking to the media on his weekly zoom conference with the media, took part of the blame for the dust up.
“D was a little high going into the plate,” Hallmark said. “They felt like he needed to be lower (going) into the slide. I thought he was trying to slide. Maybe he was trying to slide late.
“But I didn’t argue it much. Those guys, the umpires, are in a tough spot.
“There’s a lot of direction from the NCAA, and rightfully so, to keep the game clean and not have any altercation, physical fights, or anything like that.
“So I didn’t have a problem with it.”
Hallmark said he didn’t have a problem with Diaz, either.
“You know how we run the bases,” Hallmark said, referring to UTSA’s aggressive style. “I put the guys in some tough positions, and I put Diego in a tough position. Right?
“He’s out by 12 feet or something because I sent him. But, yeah, that’s the way I saw it.”
After calm was restored, umpires took several minutes to review the incident on replay.
They came back on the field and informed both coaches of their decision, that Diaz had been ejected.
In addition, South Florida had five players tossed, apparently for coming onto the field.
“I thought we handled it great,” Hallmark said. “Nobody on our team got an ejection after the fact. Nobody left the bench. Or, left their position.”
“Caden Miller was there because he was behind home plate, telling Diego where to slide, which was why he was in there.
“They lost a few people for leaving the bullpen, which is against the rules. So I was proud of our guys, frankly.
“I thought the umpires handled it well.”
Hallmark said he contacted South Florida coach Mitch Hannahs after the game.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” Hallmark said. “I think he’s a sensational coach. So I just sent him a message and said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry about Diaz, kind of a high slide. I think I screwed up by sending him.
“He replied, ‘Pat, it’s just a baseball play. I haven’t even thought about it.’ So, it’s all good.”
In the aftermath, Hallmark said he didn’t say anything directly to Miller, one of his hottest hitters.
“I just tried to get in there quick,” the coach said. “Just tried to get in there, so there wasn’t a dust-up, where we’d lose Miller.
“Any player ejection, they have to serve one more game (on suspension). So I didn’t want to lose Miller for that game or another one. But I didn’t have anything to say to Caden.”
As for his message to his players? He told them to be careful, explaining that the umpires are under scrutiny for keeping the games under control.
Also, Hallmark wanted to remind them that indiscretions against the rules could be costly, given the Roadrunners are in contention for a second-straight conference title.
“We don’t want to lose players,” he said. “… It’s one thing to lose a player for an inning or two late in the game.
“But it’s the next game, in my experience, is where you really miss people,” he said. “(It’s) the following game. Like, we’re going to miss Diego on Tuesday.
“I just wanted to make sure we didn’t lose people for multiple games.”
Hallmark and pitching coach Zach Butler were also ejected later in the game.
The head coach of the Roadrunners said he didn’t want to say too much about his own ouster.
“Those guys are good umpires,” he said. “They’re good people. They’re doing a heck of a job. Sometimes I have a little more to say than they want to hear.”
Coming up
Non conference
UTSA at Baylor, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
American Conference
Charlotte at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Charlotte at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Records
UTSA (25-11)
Baylor (20-15)
